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Cuddlefish

Cuddlefish is the story of Viktor, a daring Viking on the adventure of a lifetime. His travels come to a grinding halt when he meets the adorable love-sick kraken, Kaimana, who falls in love with the anchor on Viktor's mighty ship. The two face off in an epic conflict of wit which teaches both of them that love is blind as far as the eye can "sea."

  • Cheryl Briggs, Faculty Director
    Director
  • Brianna Jaeger
    Director
  • Jared Bittner
    Director
  • Connor Waugh
    Writer
  • Jared Bittner
    Writer
  • Jenin Mohammed
    Writer
  • Shanique Brown
    Writer
  • University of Central Florida
    Producer
  • Jenin Mohammed
    Art Director
  • Connor Waugh
    Assistant Art Director
  • Brianna Jaeger
    Production Manager
  • Rachel Nainstein
    Production Manager
  • Tyler Burns
    Lead Animator
  • Connor Waugh
    Lead Animator
  • Alexis Planer
    Lead Animator
  • Brianna Jaeger
    Animator
  • Jenin Mohammed
    Animator
  • Thomas Vinas
    Animator
  • Jared Bittner
    Rigging
  • Thomas Vinas
    Rigging
  • Alexis Planer
    Rigging
  • Shanique Brown
    Visual Effects
  • Jared Bittner
    Visual Effects
  • Thomas Vinas
    Visual Effects
  • Marchand Venter
    Visual Effects
  • Tyler Burns
    2D Effects
  • Jenin Mohammed
    Lighting
  • Alexis Planer
    Lighting
  • Thomas Vinas
    Lighting
  • Connor Waugh
    Lighting
  • Shanique Brown
    Matte Painting
  • Jared Bittner
    Rendering
  • Brianna Jaeger
    Rendering
  • Rachel Nainstein
    Rendering
  • Jenin Mohammed
    Compositing
  • Shanique Brown
    Compositing
  • Alexis Planer
    Compositing
  • Marchand Venter
    Compositing
  • Thomas Vinas
    Compositing
  • Connor Waugh
    Compositing
  • Alexis Planer
    Editor
  • Marchand Venter
    Character Modeling
  • Marchand Venter
    Environment Modeling
  • Brianna Jaeger
    Set Dressing
  • Rachel Nainstein
    Set Dressing
  • Brianna Jaeger
    Layout
  • Rachel Nainstein
    Layout
  • Jenin Mohammed
    Texture Artist
  • Brianna Jaeger
    Texture Artist
  • Rachel Nainstein
    Texture Artist
  • Marchand Venter
    Texture Artist
  • Connor Waugh
    Texture Artist
  • Matt Tracy
    Sound
  • Alexis Planer
    Sound
  • James Watson
    Film Score Composer
  • Tyler Burns
    Storyboard Lead
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • UCF Character Animation Premiere Night
    Orlando
    United States
    April 24, 2017
  • KIDS FIRST! Film Festival
    Santa Fe, NM
    United States
    June 30, 2017
  • Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    August 26, 2017
    Best Animation Film
  • Central Florida Film Festival
    Ocoee, FL
    United States
    September 1, 2017
  • Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    United States
    September 7, 2017
  • Orlando Film Festival
    Orlando, FL
    United States
    October 20, 2017
    Nominated for Best Animated Short
  • Studio City International Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    November 3, 2017
    Best Student Film
  • 15 Minutes of Fame
    Palm Bay, FL
    United States
    November 17, 2017
    Honorable Mention Best Animated Film
  • Green Bay Film Festival
    Green Bay, WI
    United States
    January 16, 2018
Director Biography - Cheryl Briggs, Faculty Director, Brianna Jaeger, Jared Bittner

In the early stages of development, Brianna Jaeger and Jared Bittner both had high expectations for Cuddlefish. They wanted to create a meaningful story coupled with a beautiful environment and color scheme. With the original story pitched by Connor Waugh in the fall of 2015, a team of highly talented classmates began to mold the story into its final form, and while doing so, they formed an amazing bond with each other and the film. This group of 10 students banded together and, as the semesters began to unravel, each member of the team discovered what they were truly passionate about to pursue as a career while used these skills to only better the film exponentially. With the aid and teachings from the program's professors and their faculty director, Cheryl Briggs, Cuddlefish premiered successfully in April of 2017. Now graduated with BFA degrees Brianna, Jared, and the entire team plan to continue sharpening their skill sets while promoting Cuddlefish through festivals.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The goal of Cuddlefish was to create a strong, heartwarming story; grounded by appealing characters. Early in development we made a conscious style-decision to set our film in beautiful Palau, in order to harness its vivid colors and jaw-dropping landscapes. Our Art Direction took great inspiration from the lush, playful paintings of Mary Blair, combined with a modern Toon Style. We also made it our focus to give our characters a sense of pathos and weight with professional quality animation. The characters feel alive and expressive, and the world in which their story unfolds was given the same amount of love and care. Our goal was to create the sense of a living, breathing environment for our characters to inhabit. By giving our effects and lighting a sense of dynamism that changes over the course of the film, Cuddlefish was layered with multiple levels of exaggeration and action which rewards the audience for multiple viewings. Our team dynamic and meticulous attention to detail is what really raised the bar of this film, and was truly a testament to the great success of Cuddlefish.